Jesus and Psalm 82

In a recent study, I encountered Psalm 82. This is the Psalm which Jesus quoted in John 10:

Joh 10:22  And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. 23  And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. 24  Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. 25  Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26  But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30  I and my Father are one. 

31  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 

32  Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 

33  The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 

34  Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36  Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 

In verse 34 above, the Scripture to which Jesus referred was Psalm 82:6. Here is the Psalm in its entirety:

Psalm 82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. 
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. 
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

In reading this Psalm with the Strong's numbers, which was needed for the study I was doing, I realized I was seeing the situation in John 10. I will try to explain... 

In the Psalm, verse one, God is standing among the powerful,  judging them. Looking at John 10:24-26, Jesus is standing among the leaders of the Jewish people, telling them that they are not his sheep because they do not believe him. 

Verses 2-4 of the Psalm detail some of the things the Jewish leaders are doing and not doing which God would have them change, and verse 5 shows their unwillingness to see the light which is before them in the person of Jesus. Instead, they accuse him of blasphemy and making himself God when he was a man. (John 10:33)

That is when Jesus quotes the Psalm, verse 6, showing that their accusation is groundless, because not only is he a child of God, but they are, also. This doesn't deny the relationship he has with his father (John 10:30)--instead, if they would but see it, it shows them the relationship that the father desires to have with them.

Father, give us ears to hear, that we may follow your Son.

First Corinthians 1: Christ Is Divided

Psalm 133

1  A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2  It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3  As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. 

I was reading Ivan Panin's numeric translation of First Corinthians when the Holy Spirit highlighted a verse for me. The verse was 1 Corinthians 1:13, which in the King James Version says this: "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" Panin, however, made the first phrase a declaration instead of a question: "Christ is divided: was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized into the name of Paul?" (My emphasis)

Full stop. This is different. What does it mean?

Christ is divided. Not good. Not good at all.

The context bears this out: Paul is chastising the Corinthians for contention and factionalism:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 1:11  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1Co 1:13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 

Specifically, he is telling them that following a man, even a well-known one such as Paul, Cephas (Peter), or Apollos, is not right. Each of them had been baptized into the name of Jesus, therefore they all were to follow Jesus. To follow anyone else is contentious, and carnal (1 Cor 3:3). It is sin.

So, what does that mean today? Do we, who claim Jesus, divide him? Are we contentious?

YES

We follow, for example, Luther, the Pope, Calvin, Wesley, or one of a host of others. We follow this or that radio, television, or internet preacher. We follow "our" pastor or priest or minister. We divide the body of Christ over men. 

It is idolatry. 

We need shepherds, because we are sheep. But if we follow a man who is not Jesus, and do not compare what he says and does with what is taught in the Bible; if we accept what a man teaches, and do not reject the lies and misinterpretations which creep in; we are in sin. We are making that man, whoever he is, into our god.

It is death.

We who claim Jesus as our savior and lord are one body, Christ's body, on earth, and he is our head (Rom 12:5, 1 Cor 10:17, Eph 1:22-23, Col 1:18). If a man is beheaded, he dies. Similarly, if one part of the body is cut off from the rest, that part dies. So if we remove Christ as our head and put a man there, or if we separate from one another because of a man, something dies. Not Christ: he overcame death in resurrection. But we die, our witness dies, our usefulness to God dies. Fellowships die. Churches die.

This need not be.

The solution is simple, although it isn't easy. It is as simple as turning away from putting man ahead of God, learning scripture, and asking God to reveal the lies we have believed. He answers that prayer, if we mean it.

Examine yourself to see if you are guilty of this. Ask God to search you and reveal any idolatry and all lies, then turn from those he reveals. It will not be easy, but it is right.

It will allow us to experience the blessing of Psalm 133.

Psalm 22: The Crucifixion

 ¹My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

Mat 27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 

 ²O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

 ³But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

 ⁴Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

 ⁵They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

 ⁶But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

 ⁷All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

 ⁸He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

Mat 27:43  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 

 ⁹But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

 ¹⁰I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

 ¹¹Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

 ¹²Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

 ¹³They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

 ¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

 ¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

 ¹⁶For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

 ¹⁷I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

 ¹⁸They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

Mat 27:35  And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 

 ¹⁹But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

 ²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

 ²¹Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

 ²²I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

 ²³Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

 ²⁴For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

 ²⁵My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

 ²⁶The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

 ²⁷All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

 ²⁸For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.

 ²⁹All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

 ³⁰A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

 ³¹They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 

Matthew 24:26 Go Not Forth

*Note that all emphasis in these scriptures is mine.*

Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

I have had an education in the application of this passage recently!

From time to time there have been "outpourings" of "the Holy Spirit" in various places, and people have flocked to see and experience them. But in this passage Jesus tells us not to do that, and many who have disregarded this instruction have found themselves in league with satan, deceived, thinking they were serving Jesus when they were not. Aside from not doing what Jesus said, which is always wrong, there are at least two errors in this.

The first error is a misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit and His function: the Holy Spirit does not seek to put Himself forward, but ALWAYS points to Jesus, the Son of God:

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The Holy Spirit is pictured as the helper, the comforter, the teacher, the guide. He does not make a show of Himself by scattering gold dust or feathers. He does not cause loss of self control in any way. These things are deceptions.

The second error is thinking that God is some PLACE. He created everything and is not constrained by locality or time. Going SOMEWHERE to be near Him is, at best, a waste of time and money. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, wherever you are:

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Psalms 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

So, you who want to know God, He is near you. You have only to go to Him in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to show the way, and read what He has said in the Bible. Seek Him in these ways, and He will be found by you without your going anywhere.

Hebrews 4:14, Our Great High Priest

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

I understand that some Christians don't study the Old Testament, and believe it to be no longer valid. I disagree with that position. In fact, one of my passions is finding Jesus in the Old Testament. My most recent find is in the consecration of the High Priest.

Aaron, Moses' brother, was the first High Priest. He was chosen by God for the position, and his sons were chosen to do the job after him. In Leviticus 8 the ritual for Aaron's consecration is given to Moses by God. Here it is, in part:

Lev 8:10-12, 22-23 ¹⁰And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. ¹¹And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. ¹²And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

 ²²And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. ²³And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.

What does that have to do with Jesus, you may be asking. Good question! After all, God says in the Hebrews verse that Jesus IS our High Priest, and that settles it! Yes, I agree, it does settle it. But there is confirmation in the Old Testament which can be seen when compared with events in Jesus' life.

In Lev 8:12 above, Moses poured anointing oil on Aaron's head to sanctify him. It was not just a little bit of oil, because in Psalm 133:2 we are told that the precious ointment ran over Aaron's beard and down to the hem of his robe. Was Jesus anointed in this way? Yes! Remember Mary, Martha and Lazarus's sister?

Mark 14:3, 6-9 ³And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
 ⁶And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. ⁷For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. ⁸She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. ⁹Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

John 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

We know this is the same woman, because the town is Bethany, Jesus is anointed by a woman, and because of these verses:

John 11:1-2 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ²(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

So Jesus was anointed with enough precious oil to cover his head and his feet. What about the blood of the sacrifice which was applied to Aaron's ear, thumb, and toe?

Mat 27:29-30 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! ³⁰And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

His head was bleeding from the beating and the thorns. His ears had blood on them. His own blood.
Someone innocent had to die to provide the blood. In Leviticus a ram died. But for Jesus' consecration, Jesus died.

Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

He had nails through his hands and his feet. His thumbs and big toes had blood on them. His own blood.
What a price he paid in order to be our Great High Priest! What suffering he endured in order to make intercession for us with His Father! There can be no greater demonstration of his love for us than this. All we can do is accept it with profound gratitude.

Psalm 139:13 Covered

 ^"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb."

"Thou hast possessed my reins"--God owns me and directs me. He made me (and you).
"Thou hast covered me"--He has woven me together and protected me (and you)
"in my mother's womb"--since conception.

This is such a warm comforting thought. I love it that God knows me so well and has such an intimate part in my being and life. He is truly my Father.

Luke 25:25-31 A Promise Fulfilled

Psa 91:16  With long life will I satisfy him, and shew [show] him my salvation.


Luk 2:25  And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27  And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28  Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Luk 2:29  Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30  For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31  Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;


The Bible is one book. It was written over more than a thousand years, by many human scribes, but it tells one story.

Psalm 91 speaks of the blessings that accompany one who stays in God's presence, and it ends with the verse above. Once as I was reading the passage in Luke which is cited above, I realized that, especially in verses 29 & 30, I was reading of the fulfillment of the promise in Psalm 91:16. That realization blessed me because I love finding events predicted in the Old Testament which are fulfilled in the New. I hope you are blessed, also.